Hardy continues dismantling the arguments about the bracelet and watch, arguing that their presence in the dirt did not directly link her client to Suzanne’s death.

“I’m sure you’ll remember, ladies and gentlemen, that the prosecution ended their case with a photograph showing my client with his hands on a person pretending to be a cheerleader. Again, they’re trying to get you to draw a line—in this case, from that unfortunate prank to an actual murder. The link is not there. My client acknowledged he was in that photograph. He explained it. He apologized for it. In my opinion, it should never have been shown, but I was overruled. It has no connection to what happened to Suzanne Bonanno. None whatsoever.”

Hardy looks at each of the jurors again.

“Later today,” she says, “the judge will give you your instructions. He will remind you of the legal definition of reasonable doubt. He will remind you that a defendant must not be convicted on suspicion or speculation. It is not enough for the State to show that the defendant is probably guilty. The State has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The State has not met that standard. Not even close.”

The defense attorney continues, speaking soberly. “At the beginning of this case, I told you that I believed that this was a political trial, and nothing we’ve heard here in this courtroom has dispelled that belief. You’ll recall that the prosecution talked about the advantages of fame and celebrity. I’d like to suggest that there are disadvantages. I believe that Cole Wright is sitting in that defendant’s chair not because of anything he did, but because of who he is. An easy target. A big prize. A head for somebody’s wall. Don’t fall for it, ladies and gentlemen.”

She walks over to the defense table and points directly at Cole Wright.

“This is a famous man, no doubt. An influential man. A powerfully connected man. But he is also an innocent man.”

Hardy gives the jury one final nod, then walks behind the defense table and sits down. In full view, she reaches over to squeeze Cole’s hand. He looks somber and grateful.

Bastinelli hasn’t been left much room to maneuver in his rebuttal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve heard from me, you’ve heard from Ms. Hardy, you’ve heard from Judge Dow. You’ve heard from expert witnesses and state troopers and detectives. You’ve heard from people whose lives intersected with this case. You even heard, very briefly, from the defendant. But the one person you haven’t heard from is Suzanne Bonanno.”

He clicks the controller and puts up the picture of Suzanne—not the one in her cheerleading uniform; the one where she’s sitting at home laughing.